I always thought they were pretty much the same, but the aroma of some gives the impression that they are actually sweeter. The red ones may be white, orange or even pinkish inside. I believe the amount of beta carotene causes this. I even had a variegated one (even the 'fingers' were variegated), but it tasted pretty much the same. The biggest difference I noted was the texture - some were quite creamy, and by comparison the typical store-bought ones appear almost 'mealy' and dry.

I like my bananas on the green side. Fully yellow makes them too sweet for me.

I meant the big green ones that never become yellow, Harvey. That green veriety is quite fragrant and very sweet, making it a favorite ingredient in banana cakes, much as green apples are often used in apple pies.

---------- Post Merged at 09:38 PM ----------

Originally Posted by chemist

How red is different from yellow one in terms of taste?

hELLO Svetlana. There are many yellow varieties and they are quite a varied lot. The red's texture is not as fine as, say, the yellow "tundan" which is quite creamy. The red has a lighter texture. It has a mild sweet flavor too, less sweet than all of the different yellows, but still sweet.

Lovely photos everyone!!
I like to eat a banana that is more green (less ripe). Once the ones that turn yellow start to get spots of brown, I would rather use them in a pudding. I planted a banana tree "Golden African Banana"` twice now. It is supposed to be winter hardy here, but froze the first year and the replanted tree still hasn't come up this year, so I expect it has died as well. I guess I will need to get a banana tree that doesn't really have fruit one can eat as they appear to be the only kind that will come back every year in this part of the world. I've been checking where I replanted my banana from last year almost daily hoping it will sprout a new plant, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I guess I need to dig down and see if it truly did rot, but I'm holding off until into June to give it a chance.

Those bananas all look wonderful. I will eat just about any type of fruit except cantaloupe - too fragrant .
Bruce I will have to check to see what variety of banana trees a former student's father has. They are native Hondurans so I'm sure the tree is a variety from there. They do grow very well here though . Of course we are a bit farther south than you.
I can't get rid of my wild banana trees for anything. They became "mine" when one from the neighbors fence decided that dividing itself on our side of the fence was a great idea. Now we are up to five from that one.

Here are 3 types of yellow bananas. The spots are perfectly normal and usually indicate that nature just took its course, without pesticides or other human interventions like wrapping the entire bunch in sacks so that they come out perfectly flawless. Those treatments are usually for our export products that end up in supermarkets all over the world.

Bananas like these are sold everywhere over here and most probably were harvested from trees which nobody planted. These usually grow on vacant lots or along the highways.

---------- Post Merged at 09:28 AM ----------

Originally Posted by 78Terp

When I was last in Hawaii I took this image at a Conservatory on Kauai.

Nice shot, Harvey. We cook the flower, which we call "puso" or heart because it resembles one, just like a regular vegetable. It is used in a lot of Filipino soup-based dishes but I like it best in a salad with coconut milk as the dressing.

Angel now I will know what to order at the Filipino restaurant we have here in town. I never understood what kind of soup that was but now I know
At Bruce. I spoke to the daughter of the family and the father called it a Honduran sweet banana. He offered one to you if you like. I'm not sure of the size. I can easily mail a shoot, but if it's a large plant likely not. Let me know and I would be happy to inquire further.

Why did my photo's not show up? I get a msg saying they may have been flagged as spam. WTF?!? Those are my photos of my plants. There is no advertising, but there is a watermark from the website they had been posted on. I could crop it out, and repost, but why would it be considered spam? I'm not selling or advertising anything at all - they are only my photos.

---------- Post Merged at 01:00 PM ----------

Originally Posted by angel

...
I meant the big green ones that never become yellow, Harvey. That green veriety is quite fragrant and very sweet, making it a favorite ingredient in banana cakes, much as green apples are often used in apple pies.
...

Well the large ones I believe you are referring to are plantain bananas, but there is a variety from the Philippines, called 'Bungulan', that is ripe/sweet when still green on the outside. Unfortunately, they have a very short shelf life. (gotta eat 'em fast)

Also, one poster (angel?) mentioned eating the 'heart' (unopened bud). I don't know what they do in the Philippines, but here in Hawaii, the only banana heart people eat is from the 'Saba' banana (referred to by Tagalog speakers), also called 'Dip-pig' by local Ilocano's. It is a very large banana plant, and makes small starchy cooking type bananas.

Originally Posted by pavel

That variegated banana is quite interesting, Yug. Never seen one like that before. Does it change to yellow as the bananas ripen or will they still be green and white when ripe?

The variegated banana will change color as it ripens, the green part turns yellow, and the white area will be a much lighter yellow. Not easy to see, but it will still be striped on the outside.

Angel now I will know what to order at the Filipino restaurant we have here in town. I never understood what kind of soup that was but now I know
At Bruce. I spoke to the daughter of the family and the father called it a Honduran sweet banana. He offered one to you if you like. I'm not sure of the size. I can easily mail a shoot, but if it's a large plant likely not. Let me know and I would be happy to inquire further.

'Puso ng saging" (literally "heart of a banana") or banana flower to be more exact. Well, I hope you find it on the menu, Traci. One very popular Filipino snack is fried banana. We use another type of banana for this one: it's quite thick, not long and slender like the yellow bananas. We call it "saba", the cooking banana. It may also skewered and roasted much like a BBQ.
Then we have the "turon" (see Wikipedia), a very popular banana-based snack, much like spring rolls.
The same type of banana is also used in desserts like "ginataang saging" or banana cooked in coconut milk along with other ingredients like sweet potato and, yam, and jack fruit.
Banana cakes and cupcakes are also very popular here.
I borrowed some images from wherever I could find them on the net to better illustrate these delicacies.

---------- Post Merged at 04:06 PM ----------

[QUOTE=Yug;408455]Why did my photo's not show up? I get a msg saying they may have been flagged as spam. WTF?!? Those are my photos of my plants. There is no advertising, but there is a watermark from the website they had been posted on. I could crop it out, and repost, but why would it be considered spam? I'm not selling or advertising anything at all - they are only my photos.

---------- Post Merged at 01:00 PM ----------

Well the large ones I believe you are referring to are plantain bananas, but there is a variety from the Philippines, called 'Bungulan', that is ripe/sweet when still green on the outside. Unfortunately, they have a very short shelf life. (gotta eat 'em fast)

Also, one poster (angel?) mentioned eating the 'heart' (unopened bud). I don't know what they do in the Philippines, but here in Hawaii, the only banana heart people eat is from the 'Saba' banana (referred to by Tagalog speakers), also called 'Dip-pig' by local Ilocano's. It is a very large banana plant, and makes small starchy cooking type bananas.

The variegated banana will change color as it ripens, the green part turns yellow, and the white area will be a much lighter yellow. Not easy to see, but it will still be striped on the outside.[/QUOT

Yug, I am talking about the long and not-so-slender green bananas that turn ever so slightly a dull yellowish green and are quite fragrant, hence they are preferred for banana cupcakes because of the smell. I just don't know the proper name because everybody here refers to as "Stanfilco", after a big banana plantation that popularized this type. It does resemble plantain. It is quite sweet. It may be the same as the "Bungulan" you mentioned.

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